Match Reports 3s – Page 7 – Merton Football Club

18 January 2016

Maximum effort but a lack of incision saw Merton’s penultimate North London visit of the season result in only the one point, leaving a must-win game vs Nottsborough next week to keep any faint title hopes alive.

Despite the recent rain in South London, Winchmore Hill appeared to have their own micro climate as the massive pitch was pretty much in perfect condition. A big pitch for the first game back after 6 weeks certainly meant this was going to be a workout.

With Kieran letting us down with a no-show for the second time this season (fyi 1 point from those two games, 22 from 27 in the other 9 games), Merton were forced into an unanticipated reshuffle with Pete Jennings and Neal Davison manfully volunteering to keep for a half each. Pete started between the sticks with Merton lining up 4-4-2. This was a step into the unknown somewhat as in the return fixture they had cunningly (or perhaps not) saved all their best players from being worked out by only showing up with 7 men.

Merton started the brighter of the two teams early doors, Denys volleying over the bar from a corner (was almost too good a contact), but an energetic Winchmore Hill side were very much in the game, using the large pitch to good effect with a string of good counter attacks as Merton failed to keep the ball with much regularity. Merton ultimately repelled these without too much alarm, but our shape was somewhat lopsided and somewhat bizarrely was resulting in both Mike Reed and Dan Kelly effectively sharing a LWG role as Winchmore often overloaded their right side (whilst playing a lot down their left). Winchmore’s best chance came via this route, a counter down their right resulting in a cross to the back post that was headed just wide.

The game was very stretched almost from the outset, with Merton’s only other chance of note coming when Tom bustled his way into the area to fire a return ball from Denys over the bar in a tough chance. At the other end, Pete Jennings was showcasing hitherto unknown goal-keeping skills, combining low-fuss competent catching with one superman punch from a corner to clear. Ticking all the boxes. The other first half incident to report saw a Winchmore player split his forehead open against Reece’s knee as both challenged for the ball. This did result in a 5 minute delay whilst his teammates a) first wondered what to do, b) waited for a jumper to be chosen as a bandage, and then c) concluded they should all hold his hand and admire his bandage on the touchline for a few minutes rather than restart the game.

So 0-0 at half time. Merton rejigged their shape to try and give them more control of the ball, Denys taking a rest and Darcy making a welcome return to the side as we switched to 4-4-1-1, with Dave just behind Tom. As an added bonus, Pete was enjoying goalkeeping so much he said he’d play the rest of the season there. Well, he may have actually said “the rest of the game” but we all knew what he meant.

So, changes made, Merton were ready to go on and dominate the game and take the three points. All this was perfect in theory, but for the next 5 minutes instead Merton switched off slightly and faced wave after wave of attacks, with only some last ditch tackling and some wayward finishing stopping Winchmore Hill taking the lead. After this crazy 5 minutes, Merton got to grips once more with the game, Dave Scott linking play up well, and Darcy adding some creativity to the middle of the park, but still we couldn’t find a final pass. The closest moment at this point in the game when Tom was played in down the left, only for his cut back to elude Dave and Dan, before the pendulum swung back to Winchmore Hill.

Two big moments in the game saw Mustard bring his Sniffing-out-danger skills to the fore again, firstly blocking with his shoulder/arm as a Winchmore Hill player wriggled free in the box. Next, Pete decided to make his goal-keeping life a little more interesting by dropping a cross at the feet of an opposition striker, only for mustard to pivot the player away from goal and then block his attempted strike. What. A. SOD.

Merton made further changes, replacing Dan and Mike with Denys and Joel, and as Winchmore Hill tired Merton really came to dominate the game. Neal, Reece, Dave and Darcy were passing the ball well in midfield, and with us now keeping the ball much more, there only looked like one team that could win it. At the back Vin continued to mop up loose balls and get us playing again as he had been all game.

The decisive pass of the game of the game came from Dave Scott. Some might say it was an overhit pass from the centre of the pitch behind the overlapping Ricky, but none could deny that seeing a flat, driven pass fly over the touchline and nestle itself from an impossible angle in a bin by the touchline was brilliant. The bin didn’t even fall over. Both sides literally cheered, and the oppo even ventured that it should be worth half a goal. It was that good. Sadly the ref did not take them up on the offer.

Anyway, back to the football on the pitch. Merton were still searching for a final ball, and it almost came with a huge up and under clearance that Winchmore failed to deal with. Tom and Denys hustled, the defender lost the flight of the ball and fell, but somehow managed to slow play down as cover came in. Nevertheless Denys wriggled free to shoot from the edge of the area…only for the ball to fly just wide. More quarter-chances came and went, a succession of corners/wide free kicks, and one free kick just outside the box that the wall blocked. Again, Merton just couldn’t find a final pass and ran out of time. 0-0.

A disappointing result, but probably what the performance merited, as despite a much improved second half we just couldn’t fashion a clear chance on goal. There will definitely be some tired legs after all 14 men covered a lot of ground (well 13, as Pete did bugger all running in goal). Mustard clocked 7.5k on his fitbit from left back as a benchmark.

MOTM: Men this week as a tied vote. Pete for his excellent goal keeping performance as a volunteer, and Vin, who consistently broke up play and was tidy throughout with the ball from centre back. Dave also gets an honourable mention.

DOTM. Lots of contenders (Dan K for “jumping for a header like a total fairy”, Dave for the bin shot (also a reason he was voted by some as MOTM!)), but Ricky prevailed in a tight battle after stopping in disgust after a bad pass to him and letting his opposite number run off into the space behind him with the ball.

Team

Pete Jennings
Mike Reed
Vincenzo Di Matteo
Mike Stone
Ricardo Inglesias
Dan Kelly
Neal Davison
Dave Scott
Reece
Denys Zhurby
Tom Benham

Darcy Yates
Joel Ooustheizen

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

15 December 2015

Another full squad of 14 boars plus cheerleader Walshy lined up for Merton 3s against the howling wind and a somewhat rag-tag St James Old Boys reserves, sporting a colourful array of shorts and socks and only ten men. Always a tasty proposition but we didn’t work the numbers particularly well in the first 20 mins, instead devoting 6 men to shut down their lone striker who really didn’t warrant such suspicion. Once we’d worked out that we could afford to push on a bit, the pattern of the game was set; namely that we needn’t have bothered with marking out the full pitch and putting both goals out as the game was only played in half of it.

The opener/nerve-settler came when Mustard evaded a challenge and bundled the ball into Ricky, who played in Tom to slot past the keeper, moments after Lofty had, in a moment of inspiration, hauled himself off and put Tom up front. Mustard is so committed to the Merton cause these days that he is actually beginning to take on the form of a boar, and this was evident as he burrowed down the left wing, head bowed, leading with the tusks. As defenders leapt out of the way presumably fearing for their own safety he suddenly found himself in the opposition box, where the boar analogies abruptly ended with an outrageous swan dive and hopeful look towards the referee. No pen; and DOTD sewn up before half time.

The second goal was a contender for goal of the season in the coveted “team goal” category. Mike and Vin started the move on the half way line, working the ball out to Mustard, who passed it in to Pete in the middle, who shifted it wide to Neal at right-back, who knocked it down the line to Reece, who threaded it through to Ryan all alone on the 6-yard line, who hacked it across goal for Denys to smash in at the far post. MOTD analysis suggests 25 completed passes in the build up, but I could just be making that up. 2-0 at half time, more of the same encouraged for the second half as Ellis picked up his deckchair, walked it down to the other goalmouth and re-opened his Mills & Boom novel.

More of the same in the second half as Joel “Skippy” Van Oosten was introduced and boars of war Pete and Ryan pushed on in midfield in search of someone to tackle. Merton could sniff a goal-fest, and opportunities were being generated aplenty with nice triangles down the right between Neal, Reece and Ryan, running in behind from Tom and Ricky, and Denys, more bear than boar, leading the line out-muscling defenders and creating space. The third goal came when one of said defenders scythed the big Ukranian down just outside the box, and was then sent to the touchline to remove his earrings and think about what he’d done. That left SJOB with nine men, so the ref graciously said we’d wait for him to return before re-starting play. Except nobody told Pete, who curled in a delightful chip for Denys to head back across goal where Tom arrived, charging in at full pace to poke the ball past the keeper. 3-0, and the hat-trick beckoned for Tom when Ricky tricked his way along the touch line and squared for Tom, 3 yards out, to blast straight at the keeper’s chest. He’d have to wait for the third, but in the meantime Merton poured forward, wasting a succession of corners, crosses and goalmouth scrambles. At one point, Chris “Big Papa” Papanastatiou was so dismayed to see Ryan’s left-foot swinging for a ball just in front of him in the 6-yard box that he yelled “NOOOOOOOOOO” as if auditioning for a role in a Hollywood B-movie.

The hat-trick was completed with a goal Tom had been threatening to score all game, running off the shoulder of the centre-back onto a lofted through ball from Pete (after he’d won the ball and flattened his man, naturally) and slotting into the corner past the admittedly excellent keeper, without whom Tom could have had 6 and Merton 16. No sooner than the ball had hit the back of the net, and before he’d even had time to celebrate his achievement, Tom was hauled off as a reminder that no one player is bigger than the team. At this point there was still plenty of time left to run up a score, or at least there would have been had we been playing 90 minutes. Alarm bells should have been raised by the ref mentioning at kick-off that he had to shoot off straight after the game, and the fact that at one point he looked to the sky rather than his watch when asked how long was left. There were still chances to be had; Denys launched a thunderbolt from the edge of the box that hit the bar and fired straight upwards like a ground-to-air missile, then set up Chris P for a spectacular air-shot with the goal at his mercy. Meanwhile, Pete broke up a rare foray into the Merton half and dribbled back and forth past the bamboozled attacker who reacted by brutally hacking him down. Voices were raised, tempers about to flare as Pete got up, walked over the the offender and said “sorry for doing you there mate”.

The final whistle sounded shortly after on a convincing win, built on the solidity of Joel, Vin and Mike at the back (we’ve now conceded just 1 goal in 3 games) and the pace of Tom up front, who scooped a deserved MOM award. Also worth recording that the referee was actually very good and the opposition were good sports in difficult circumstances for them. Less than a season ago, it was Merton 3s who were turning up for away games with 10 men and now here we are with a full squad every week, great team spirit and difficult selection decisions to make. There will be tougher challenges ahead, starting with 2nd versus 3rd in the league next week. Bring it on.

MOM: Tom Benham
DOTM: Mike Reed

Lineup:
Paul Ellis
Neal Davison
Vincenzo Di Matteo
Mike Stone
Mike Reed
Tom Benham
Ryan Gresty
Pete Jennings
Ricardo Inglesias
Denys Zhurbiy
Simon White

Subs:
Joel Van Oosten
Chris Papanastatiou
Reece Smith

Spectators:
Paul Welch

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

6 December 2015

9 December 2015

Merton made amends for the 1-1 draw in the return fixture by claiming a deserved 3 points at Barnet. The high winds and the inclined, boggy pitch all pointed to the game being unlikely to be a clean, passing game, but this was something the boars of war were prepared for. They lined up 4-4-2, with Joel returning to partner Vin in the heart of the defence, Lofty manfully taking over GK duties, and Ryan Gresty making his long awaited return to Merton colours by taking a spot on the bench alongside Tony.

EBOG won the toss and chose to kick into the wind, so the scene was set for Merton to take advantage and secure a sizeable half-time lead. However, like two weeks ago vs Old Blues, the reality was rather different. Merton started promisingly, camped in the EBOG half and using the pace of Tom and Dan to threaten a somewhat ponderous back 4. Dan had the first chance, latching on to an underhit goal kick only to fire at the keeper. Dave, Tom and Denys all had half-chances as well but once again our finishing was awry. Merton were also denied what looked like a clear penalty for handball as the ball was crossed in for a corner.

Merton’s frustrations at not getting the breakthrough were rising, not helped by some very inconsistent refereeing (more on that later), and were duly compounded as EBOG took the lead midway through the half. After not awarding an obvious handball despite blowing his whistle prior to this every time the ball so much as looked at a Merton hand, the referee then penalised Merton for a fair challenge in the centre of the pitch. Two consecutive errors, and from the resulting free kick, an EBOG player flicked the ball on. Joel, standing just behind, couldn’t stop the involuntary arm twitch towards the ball and the penalty (probably rightly) was awarded

and despatched confidently. 1-0.

1-0 threatened to be become two as Merton momentarily lost their way. Some good work from EBOG down the right saw them work the ball into the middle of the box for an onrushing player to strike, but Lofty was out quickly to

smother before the defence cleared the follow up.

That scare avoided, Merton promptly went up the other end and got the equaliser. Dan latched on to a high ball, broke free of the covering defence, and for once took his time, dribbling to within his standard 6-10 yard distance from goal before slotting in at the near post, as the keeper helpfully decided to leave a nice gap by standing a few yards inside his post. 1-1.

Merton were back on top now and more chances to take the lead followed. Denys played Dan in with a lovely through ball, only for the shot to drift just past the post with wind and hill playing slightly contributory factors. Seb squared for Ricky to run on to the ball from just outside the corner of the box and his first time strike looked in for all the world before instead crashing into the crossbar with the keeper nowhere. Tom then got in down the right and his diagonal cross couldn’t quite be steered in by Dan at the far post. Next, Denys blazed so wide the ball threatened to go out for a throw from a narrow angle. Dan then cushioned a header into Ricky who hit the crossbar again (!!) from close range but was ruled offside anyway. Finally, Tom himself found the ball at his feet 6 yards out following some pinball in the box, but from the angle could only find the keeper.

So, 1-1 at half time, and much like the game at Old Blues two weeks ago, Merton had it all to do in the second half against the wind. Lofty said as much in his half time team talk, but pointed to the fact we scored 5 second half goals in that game against the wind so we could do it again.

Ryan came on at half time, and was involved within seconds, first passing to the opposition and then chopping down the oppo player nearest to him. We’ll call that ring rust, although maybe the plan was to give them the ball

so he could show them the sort of tough tackling they would be receiving for the rest of the game! Despite the wind, Merton still looked the more dangerous team. Where EBOG had failed to get even close to getting out of their half for most of the first 45 minutes, Lofty’s clean striking from goal kicks was giving Merton a platform to attack from. Similarly, when EBOG tried the ball over the top, they learned much as Merton had in the first half, namely that the wind would often take it off the pitch or to the keeper.

As Merton pushed for the goal to take them into the lead, Dan played Ricky in only for a combination of defender and keeper to deny him. However, a Merton goal was coming and the pressure finally told ten minutes into the

second half. Some great pressing by the front 4 culminated in a rushed clearance by the keeper, and Dan sprinted in to rob the ball from the centre back as he waited for it to come down. Bursting into the box, for once he got

his head up and squared for Dave Scott as two defenders desperately tried to block the shot. Dave elected to take a touch on the very tricky pitch, teasing both keeper and one remaining centre-back as it

ran on a few yards. Things were all under control though and Dave (was very tempted to write Neal!) coolly slotted in from a couple of yards, almost dribbling into the net. 2-1.

On a heavy pitch, the front two and the wingers were being rotated regularly, and Tom, having come off at HT, duly came on and scored with his first touch to make it 3-1. This time, some outstanding play down the right by

Ricky saw him block an attempted clearance by the full-back, chase it down and hit a first time cross from the edge of the area to Denys. As with Dave, Denys decided to take a touch, and the chance looked to be gone as the

defensive cover closed in on Denys with the ball now slightly behind him. However, Tom had sprinted into the box in support, and recognising this Denys instead used his body to hold off the defenders as Tom smashed into the

roof of the net from close range. 3-1.

Despite the comfort of a two goal cushion, 3-1 was still a dangerous scoreline and with heavy legs and the wind against us, it was very important not to give EBOG a sniff of a second goal. Fortunately with war boars Ryan and Pete in the middle, the opposition were slowly losing the will to fight. Both men were flying into tackles left right and centre. Pete was perhaps lucky not to be booked as he cynically stopped an EBOG break with a well placed shoulder, but the reality was that for many of the opposition players, seeing him bear down on them was enough to make them kick the ball into touch and evacuate the immediate area. Ryan was showcasing his full array of slide tackles in front of the man, stopping the ball with his leg, back, and shoulder on different occasions as he flew by, and often then getting up to win the second ball from the bemused opposition. Vin and Joel were also excellent, often heading clear a full 15-20 yards against the wind which helped enormously in stopping the opposition building any momentum. EBOG were getting frustrated at what they saw as rough treatment, and this boiled over into a full blown kick at Pete by one player, followed by a bit of a melee of pushing, which the referee somewhat mysteriously warranted no action whatsoever beyond a free kick.

Merton were a little more defensively-minded now as legs tired, but there was still time for some further action. A swift counter attack saw Merton with 7 men forward, but a misplaced through-ball looked to have ended the attack. Right back Tony was having none of this however, perhaps enjoying the chance to get away from marking their tricky winger, and chased the ball down, stopping it on the by-line 10 yards from goal. Sensing a killer fourth goal, Seb screamed for the cross. Or if you listen to Denys account of this, he more mewed for the cross in a soft, quiet, pleading voice. Toooooonnny, Toooooony he pleaded (sound files of this are available). Tony was having none of this (or perhaps couldn’t hear noises that highly pitched) and instead went for goal. This was somewhat ambitious considering he was standing on the byline with the post between him and the goal and no angle whatsoever, but to be fair he forced the keeper/post into a save. Seb was devastated.

The game went on. And on. 17 minutes to go turned into about 47, as the referee kept finding time from somewhere. It turned out that perhaps he meant 27 when he said 17, no one was really sure except Ryan who was convinced (and told the ref so) that “ball in car-park” time was not being applied consistently to both teams and more damningly that he being lied to. EBOG used this (extra?) time to play in a couple of very teasing free-kicks that no-one could apply a finish to, Lofty instead watching them cooly (outwardly at least) past his far post.

The icing on the cake that was the 4th goal duly arrived with 2 minutes to go. Mustard, having taken a week off from sniffing out danger, bagged an assist with a quick throw in down the left. Tom took advantage of some tired legs to beat the fullback and cut inside into the box before passing crisply into the corner as Denys and Dan waited hopefully for a square ball. So, 4-1 and once again a great performance into the wind and a proper battle of a game in the wind and the mud. Boar weather! Most importantly, the sheer desire and will to win of this team was once again evident and is playing a massive part of our success so far this season.

MOTM: Pete Jennings, for his tireless running, a succession of big tackles, and successfully scaring opposing players so much that they didn’t want to play any more. Also a massive mentions to Ryan’s Dad for his vocal

support from the touchline and also for the ill Mike Stone, who dragged himself to North London just to watch the game from beneath several layers of clothes and coats.

DOTM: Tough this week, with everyone playing well, but had to be Joel for the handball.

Line up:

Simon White
Mike Reed
Vicenzio Di Matteo
Joel Van Oosten
Ricardo Inglesias
Sebastien Lechanoine
Pete Jennings
Dave Scott
Tom Benham
Dan Kelly
Denys Zhurby

Subs:

Anthony Postlewaite
Ryan Gresty

[Show slideshow]

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

26 November 2015

An emphatic scoreline masked a somewhat odd game worthy of the moniker “a game of two halves,” as Merton returned to winning ways at the hood.

Once again there was pre-match drama as the game was switched from Ham to the Joseph Hood and then threatened once again by the familiar end of week rain and in this case the less familiar snow.

Neal in particular was so convinced the game was going to be off he kept talking about his planned saturday IKEA trip and Pete Jennings confided that he was staring a long day of carpet shopping full in the face if the rain didnt let off.

What other home furnishing plans the rest of the squad had on was not disclosed, but it wasnt all bad news for the industry when the game was declared on as Dan bought a broom from homebase (and dressed for a full-on artic expedition) to sweep some excess moisture from the pitch.

With the returning Denys back in the first XI in the only personnel change from last week, Merton did revert to a 4-4-2 for the visit of Old Blues, with Tony, Reece and Joel (also all returning) cheering the “polar boars” from the subs bench.

Old Blues started with 10 as players were running late, and Merton had the benefit of a baltic wind at their backs so the plan was to use this advantage to build up an unassailable first half lead. So the scene was all set for an onslaught and it duly arrived with Old Blues struggling to get out of their half and Merton well on top.

The chances came thick and fast. And went thick and fast as Merton put on a masterclass in how not to finish. Dan got in behind two or three times and couldnt pick out a square pass or finish. When he did find Denys courtesy of a fortunate ricochet that left the ball at Denys feet and both keeper and defender sprawled on the floor, Denys incredibly managed to hit the previously ko’d defender with his shot. In a rare moment of quality, Dan crossed to Reece (on for Tom midway through the half) who controlled and laid the ball off for Dave to hit from 12 yards, only for the strike to go wide.

Dave then returned the favour to Reece a few minutes later a little later, looping the ball over the stranded keeper and centre back for Reece to steer home at the back post with the goal at his mercy. You can guess what’s coming. With Merton players already celebrating, Reece (some would say unforgiveably) leaned back and blazed over the bar. It was not going to plan.

Merton did get the one goal, and perhaps unsurprisingly it came via the boot of the opposition, the full back showing Merton how it was done by slicing a crossed free kick over the keeper and into the top corner under some pressure from Dan at the back post.

At the other end, Old Blues were sporadically threatening down the right wing, with Mustard drawn into a few clumsy tackles by their tricky winger. As per usual however, his penchant for sods (that’s sniffing out danger) remained undiminished and resulted in a crucial goal line block after Old Blues had got in behind and managed to beat Paul Ellis.

So, to Merton’s disgust it was just 1-0 at half time and with a second half into the wind to come there were concerned discussions at half time. Had we missed our opportunoty? A change was made (Tony on for Mustard) and the team was put on notice that more would be made if we didnt shape up. The strikers were particularly singled out and warned that included them if they didnt take their chances.

And so the second half kicked off with Merton desperate to atone for their first half profligacy. But how would the wind affect them? As it turned out not very much, Merton continuing to dominate just as they had in the first half.

The second goal came quickly. Dan and Seb harried the full back off the ball on the halfway line and Seb played in Denys. There was still a bit of work to do, but with an easy square ball to Dan removed as an option by an outrageous off the ball foul, Denys instead calmly guided past the keeper from a narrow angle for 2-0.

Two quickly became three when Neal played in Dan with a beautifully weighted through ball for him to tuck under the keeper. 3-0 and Mustard, seeing his strikers react to the threat of substitution for poor finishing by both scoring within 10 minutes, promptly subbed off Dan to bring Tom back on. Lesson learned.

Merton were now utterly dominant as Old Blues lost all shape. Tom bullied his way past the frankly rather beleaguered left back, drove into the box, and finished very crisply indeed, waiting a moment for the keeper to commit himself before blasting the ball home from 12 yards.

Denys bagged a second with a close range finish following good work down the left with Reece.

Neal then strode imperiously through a series of tackles only to air kick just as he went to clip the ball past the keeper. Mike Stone, moving into centre mid as Joel came on for Neal, then did something similar to Neal (less

imperious ghosting past players, more actual finish), only for Tom to poke the ball in on the line and cruelly deny Mike a first Merton goal. There was some slight justification in the nearby presence of a covering defender.

At 6-0 more changes were made to rotate the team and game somewhat petered out in terms of Merton chances.

There was, though, still time for some defensive shenanigans (to be fair this is more related for amusement purposes as the defence were very good throughout).

Mustard managed to pass to the opposition striker ten yards from him instead of Vin when everyone else was forward waiting for the free kick to be crossed in. The oppo could not take advantage though as Merton recovered well.

Secondly, there was much hilarity on the sidelines as first Vin slipped, and then slipped again trying to turn and catch an attacking winger. Mustard then threw himself in to intervene only to miss man and ball entirely but just when all seemed lost Joel slid in on his knees platoon-style and block the ball out for a corner. That is commitment.

Last but by no means least, the final action of the game saw Paul Ellis make a great full length stop and then Mustard (the sod – that’s sniffer of danger) to bag another goal line block and ensure a clean sheet.

So, very much the proverbial game of two halves (in terms of finishing at least) and ultimately an emphatic win.

Defense was solid throughout, good to see Joel, Reece and Tony back and all did well. Tom B continues to improve and had a great second half when he returned, but Motm this week went to Seb who picked up an assist in a high energy display from the right wing.

Dotm went to Reece for that miss. The ball is probably still rising.

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

14 November 2015

Despite a valiant effort Merton came up short in their 3rd vs 1st showdown with Nottsborough, with the visitors leaving with the 3 points.

With the rain pouring down on Saturday morning, a second week in a row with a pitch inspection threatened to leave Merton without a game. However, somewhat miraculously the swamp we affectionately (or maybe just factually) call the Hood managed to withstand the deluge and the game was called on. This may be the first time a home game has passed a pitch inspection, at least to this writer’s knowledge!

Merton lined up 5-2-3, with the aim of containing a free-scoring Nottsborough side and using the front 3 to pressurise the opposition back four. Paul Ellis returned in goal for the now departed Arturs, Ricardo returned from his ban to start at right wing back, and Pete Jennings from injury to come into the centre midfield alongside Neal in a “dogs of war” combination. After an excellent game coming on as a substitute last week, Tom lined up as part of the front three. To complete proceedings the injured Ryan was accompanied by the long lost Walshy (Walshy!) for a season high home crowd of 2, despite the pouring rain.

Merton were fully up for the game with the reward of top spot up for grabs and started well, forcing Nottsborough back into their half without quite creating anything. That changed as Dan was played in by Tom with a neat throughball, only to be barged off the ball just outside the edge of the area. From the resulting free-kick, Lofty bent the ball in and Pete Jennings salmonesque (but without needing to really leap, so we’ll go with lean) lean steered a good chance just wide of the post. A good chance missed, and unfortunately Merton were soon behind.

The visitors had started to get back into the game somewhat, with their talented right winger seeing a lot of the ball vs Ricardo, but the first goal was still something of a surprise. A Nottsborough free kick from just under 30 yards was curled over the wall and dipped over Paul Ellis, who despite wearing a non-regulation sixth stud was unable to leap out of the sizeable goal mouth puddle sufficiently to the reach the ball. 0-1.

Undeterred, Merton rallied. The front free of Dave, Tom and Dan led from the front, pressing the opposition back, with Neal in particular relishing the battle in the middle of the pitch, as the majority of the play was now in the Nottsborough half. In particular one crunching and entirely fair tackle from Neal really showed the level of intensity (and was rewarded with a retalitory tackle that earned the opposing player the first yellow card of the game).

Merton continued to press. Vin played a delightful through ball in to Dan, who should have done better with the chance from the corner of the box – more composure needed! However, the home side levelled as the building pressure and succession of free kicks finally paid off. A somewhat mysterious/contraversial indirect free kick award for handball saw Lofty lift the ball into the box. The ball was only half cleared, and Dave Scott reacted fastest to stab the ball back towards goal. Although slightly mishit due to the lack of reaction time the slight bounce was enough to beat the goalkeeper’s despairing dive and the ball nestled into the corner. 1-1.

Nottsborough responded well, playing their way down the line and crossing for a great chance to go back ahead, only to put the ball over the bar, before Merton reasserted themselves, and ended the half back in the ascendancy. At half time having got the goal back, and being the dominant team for the last 15 minutes of the half, the team really felt that they could go on and win the game. Lofty made one change with the soaking wet Dan (having ended up in the goalmouth puddle just before halftime) replaced with Yomi upfront.

Unfortunately, the second half didn’t quite start in the same manner that the first half ended. Nottsborough raised their level, and Merton just lost a little of the intensity they had in the first half, struggling to clear their lines and get into the opposition half. When they did finally create a great chance on the counter, with Tom released down the right, the referee rather frustratingly brought play back to award a freekick to Merton. Seb came on for the hamstrung Vin, slotting in at full back as Mustard moved inside. This did little to halt the Nottsborough charge, and they took the lead again – some sharp passing drawing first Mustard and then the covering Lofty out of position before a cross into the box fell to the feet of a Nottsborough forward to guide home through a crowd of players. 1-2.

Merton were looking tired now, with gaps appearing for the opposition to exploit, and a tired tackle from a Pete Jennings desperate to come off saw him booked. Indeed, such was his desperation to reach the rest promised by the touchline, he had a full-on hissy fit as the ref tried to talk to him and take his details. In his own words, “he just wanted to come off.” Unfortunately, Ricardo also was feeling the effects of a first game back after a few weeks out, and wanted to come off as well. With Vin injured, Dan came on for Pete and Ricardo was told to soldier on, perhaps taking that a little too literally when he followed Pete into the referee’s book with a forceful lunging tackle that dumped the opposition winger to the floor.

The change did little to alter the flow of the game, with the visitors continuing to dominate and moving the ball very well to exploit the tired legs. Some manful and even borderline heroic (but without the desperation the word implies) defending from the back three of Lofty, Mike, and Mike – or as Mustard put it, “Sniffing out danger or SOD” kept Merton in the game. When even that wasn’t enough, Paul Ellis was there, with one particularly outstanding point-blank save from a shot that no-one could quite believe hadn’t gone in.

At the other end, Merton couldn’t quite fashion an equaliser on the rare ocasions they could get forward. Dan robbed the centre back momentarily on the edge of the box only for a recovering tackle / “outrageous dive” (depending on who saw it, but it should be noted those in the “dive” camp were generally furthest away!) to snuff out the danger. A late rally forced a number of corners and free-kicks but nothing clear cut and the game ended with Nottsborough ultimately as deserved winners.

Despite the defeat, Merton can take great heart from the first half performance, the overall commitment level and the knowledge that they gave the league leaders a proper game. All of which isn’t actually that heartening vs some actual points, but with some players still missing and some still short of match fitness, Merton can certainly expect to improve before we play the return fixture. Next up, an away game at Old Blues and a chance to bounce straight back from this defeat with a win.

MOTM – Lofty narrowly earned the award from Neal, who competed ferociously throughout. The rest of the defence should also get a special mention for some commited defending that kept us in the game second half.

DOTM – An (allegedly) tough call between the Jennings strop and the “Outrageous” Dan Dive (it wasn’t a dive!), before Neal made some post-match whatsapp comments which resulted in his temporary exclusion from the group for “disrespecting the boar.” Obviously this can’t be re-published, but the symbols of a boar and a weapon were present in what can only be described as in an inciendary sequential order. As the writer is one of the nominees, and it wasn’t a dive, and because Neal’s comments were post-match, the DOTM winner this week is Mr Pete Jennings, who will probably take this in good grace, but it would be infinitely more amusing if he got in a strop about it.

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

9 November 2015

Merton marked Arturs last game for the club with a come-from-behind victory that showed excellent character and will to win.

With torrential rain hammering down all morning, late withdrawals, and a planned pitch inspection at 12 (rather annoyingly after many of the team had to leave for North London to make it for kick-off), there was considerable uncertainty as to whether the game would be on and what the squad would be. However, with no news re: cancellation combined with DQ and Ryan joining the squad after the 2’s were called off (big thanks to those boys), we all arrived more or less on time and with a strong squad of 13.

The pitch had been used for the first team gave immediately before ours, and the centre of the pitch was more or less underwater, with hints of grass still showing on the wings. “Get the ball wide” was the obvious cliché bingo call to look out for and was duly covered in our pre match team talk as Merton lined up 4-3-3 in an attempt to take the game to the opposition. Arturs was made captain for the day, and immediately started playing mind games with the oppo – entering into a debate with the team as to which end we should pick despite losing the toss and the oppo choosing to stay as they were. Crafty stuff, and their confusion carried into the first half as Merton dominated.

With the advantage of the wind and an actual warm up, Merton dominated from the outset without really doing themselves justice when it came to finishing and the final ball. Dave Scott flicked over from the near post after good work from Lofty, DQ tested the keeper from distance after a run from fullback, Lofty slightly miskicked when well set and perhaps had more time (although the miskick was almost a perfect cross for Denys). At the back, the back four of DQ, Vin, Mike and Mustard were looking comfortable, well shielded in particular by Neil who patrolled the lake that was CM very effectively. DQ in particular was proving to be an effective out-ball and was linking up play nicely.

As the half continued, Dan forced a good save from the keeper after a nice one-two with Denys, and Tom had a couple of chances to pick out the strikers from the right, only for the final cross to just be above, or behind the attacking players. All very frustrating, and it feel to Mike Reed, the Merton boar personified, to be the one to change the game. Receiving the ball at left back, Mike burst down the line, forcing his way through two opposition tackles and indeed players to reach the byline. His cross was partly deflected, but still had enough to allow Denys to turn the ball home from 6 yards, using his strength impressively to beat both centreback and goal-keeper to the loose ball. 1-0.

Merton hoped this would be the catalyst for more goals, but the remaining 10 minutes of the half failed to yield further reward, the best chance falling to Denys who fired over after Lofty, Dan and DQ all combined in the box. 1-0 at half time.

Lofty’s half time team talk was frank as he highlighted that we had failed to use the wind and pitch as well as we might have. He also warned that the oppo had played that half very well tactically and urged us to learn from that as we played into the wind. But, with Merton having enjoyed almost all the chances, and the bulk of possession, we were confident we would press on and put the match to bed.

The second half was a totally different proposition. Merton started very flat, with none of the intensity of the first half, and whilst the opposition now enjoyed much more of the ball, the game was drifting a little aimlessly when a defensive mix-up saw Vin step out of defence to win the ball, only to slip, and then collide with Mustard whilst attempting to recover in the slippery conditions. Unfortunately this left the opposition striker clean through. He finished well, dribbling around Arturs and slotting into the net to destroy any hopes of a clean sheet for Arturs in his final game. 1-1. Worse was to follow for Merton.

After being denied a possible penalty when Denys was clipped (it did look accidental but nonetheless it did trip Denys up when clean through), Merton found themselves behind in somewhat unfortunate circumstances. A swift break from St James saw a dangerous cross driven into the box, which Mustard did well to clear to the opposing wing. However, this served only to allow a second, higher, cross to be floated in, which Mustard acrobatically cut out at the near post, diverting the ball instead into the top corner of the net past a despairing Arturs. 1-2.

Lofty reacted, bringing back on DQ and Dan, and sacrificing the hardworking Seb (who had covered the difficult swamp of a CM well) and also himself from midfield in a selfless act of managerial responsibility. Merton changed to 4-4-2 with Denys and DQ now leading the line. Merton began to get back into the game, Tom Benham doing well down the right to put in three or crosses, which couldn’t quite fall to the right man in the right place, with a Dave Scott piledriver over the bar from 25 yards the best chance from these centres. However, with 15 minutes to go, the breakthrough came, and once again it was Mike “The Boar” Reed (aka Mustard) that proved the catalyst. Perhaps he was fired up by the own goal, or possibly from the embarrassment of having harassed the ref all game about foul throws before committing one of the worse foul throws ever seen on a football pitch and being pinged for it. Either way, it did the trick!

The goal was almost a carbon copy of the first, Mike surging down the line from his own half, breaking through tackles to reach the byline. Again, the cross came in, this time via a couple of half blocks and deflections, and helped on by Merton players, but a goal was certain as the ball was squared for Tom 2 yards out near the back post to slot home. Certain, except for the massive puddle in the six yard box which stopped the ball dead just short of reaching Tom. The keeper, thanking his lucky stars, dived for the ball, but Tom was able to react to stab the ball back across goal and DQ gleefully smashed it home. Part 1 of Lofty’s tactically masterclass complete.

At 2-2, Merton felt the game was there for the taking. But so did St James, and as the game entered the last 10 minutes, it was the home side that were on top and creating the best chances. The best of these saw some smart interplay put their striker clean through on goal, with the game surely there for the taking. Arturs had other ideas, forcing the striker into a wild blaze over the crossbar and taking a knock from the team in the process. Obviously aware of Arturs toughness, the team resolutely ignored his limping to stand 50 yards from him just in the opposition half for the resulting goal kick, in full faith his kicking ability would be fine (it was).

Then, as the game entered the final few minutes, Merton struck. After winning a corner following some good play down the right with Tom, Denys, Dave and DQ involved, Neil played in a delightful cross for Dan (of all people) to head (yes head) goalwards. A rare headed goal seemed inevitable, only for the keeper to claw the ball away for another corner. Undeterred the same combination struck again, this time Neil crossing to the back post for Dan to volley home from a tight angle with 3 minutes to go. Cue celebrations, another nod to Lofty’s management skills, and another rejig of formation to see the game out, with DQ dropping into midfield to sit in front of the back four.

This worked brilliantly, as the newly defensively minded DQ led a counter attack in injury time, held the ball up in the area and played in Tom to stab a deserved goal past the keeper from 10 yards for a 4-2 win.

So, a great, late comeback on a difficult surface that really showed the character in the team and took us to 3rd in the league and saw Arturs off with a win. We will miss him, and wish him all the very best. Next week, a home game with leaders Nottsborough that will be a real test of where we stand this season.

One final point that needs to be made – the sportsmanship and hospitality of St James. Both for the moment at 2-2 when Ryan suddenly stopped with something in his eye, and the opposition striker immediately stopped the game rather than run through on goal, and also for the sharing of their own food back at the pub when they saw we had more players than them. Both actions really appreciated and great to see a new club join the SAL.

MOTM: Mike Reed for 2 outstanding assists

DOTM: Mike Reed for both an OG and for that foul throw

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

27 October 2015

Saturday 24^thOctober

Merton FC v Winchmore Hill

9 – 2

Against an under strength opposition, Merton dispatched a deserved result efficiently to claim another 3 points at home.

Please excuse a full match report, ,short of me writing something to resemble a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ trilogy, I will keep the following simple and concise.

For the first time this season Merton FC boasted a full complement of playing staff for the Saturday fixture. A luxury rarely available, and something which the opposition would have been grateful for.

A battling and commendable display by the Winchmore Hill players was a credit to the league, and certainly Merton Fc will look forward to matching the opposition with full strength sides for the following return fixture in North London this season.

Merton, following the previous two weeks’ slow starts, started on top for this game from the outset. Early strikes from Donno and mustard early on set the tone for the rest of the game. A great solo effort by Donno, and a blistering volley from Mustard made it 2-0 to Merton early on.

An overlapping move from RB to RM which involved Tony and Reece, finishing with a through ball to the inside of the box from Tony, for Reece to calmly slot past the keeper to his inside post made it 3-0.

A speculative effort form the opposition from 25 yards out then zipped off the wet surface and under the Merton keepers’ body to give the opposition a goal before half time. Shortly afterwards a speculative clearance from the opposition back line was not dealt with by the Merton central defence which then resulted in another goal for the opposition.

To finish off the half a long drive, on target and zipping off the wet surface was not held by the opposition keeper, and poked in to the back of the net by an on-rushing Yomi.

Half time 4-2.

Merton could see the Winchmore Hill players were using the same tactic for their chances, which were limited, but clearly effective.

At the start of the second half, the Merton forwards pushed higher up the pitch to press the ball deeper in to the opposition half. Spreading the ball across the pitch, and developing wing play was the key to seeing this game out.

Merton had great success using the wing back and attacking midfielders and successive goals were to follow from the home side as the second half developed.

An early strike from Donno started the rout, another assist from Darcy who provided 4 assists in total throughout this game.

Neal adopted a holding roll in front of the back four to allow his midfield partner Darcy to develop and spread the ball out wide. A cut back to the edge of the box by Darcy then was struck in to the top right hand corner of the net by Tony to make the score 6-2 with 75 minutes gone.

Two strikes from Chris followed- assisted by Darcy, and a lofted through-ball by Tony from the edge of the box which was slotted underneath the keeper made it 8-2 with a few minutes left

I final flick on from the wing to the edge of the box by Nick was fantastically controlled, and curled in to the top right hand corner of the goal by Denys almost as the final whistle went to round off an emphatic day in front of goal for the Merton team.

Goals and assists from all over the team today – 7 different goal scorers and 5 players assisting – putting an emphasis on the effectiveness of Merton’s team play and decision making from game to game so far this season.

Positives to take from this game, and surely the chances missed the previous week were vindicated in this match. Hard work all round.

MOTM: Merton 11*

DOTM: Arturs (sorry son-the first goal conceded got you in here!)

Squad:

GK – Arturs

RB – Tony P (Goal scorer @ 75mins + 2 assists)

CB – Mike Stone

CB – Joel

LB – Mustard (Goal scorer @ 15mins)

RM – Reece (Goal scorer @ 40mins)

CM – Darcy (+ 4 assists)

CM – Neal

LM – Donno (Goal scorer @ 10mins + 65mins + 1 assist)

ST – Yomi (Goal scorer @ 80mins)

ST – Denys (Goal scorer @ 90mins)

Subs:

CB – Lofty

ST – Chris (Goal scorer @ 60mins + 85mins + 1 assist)

LM – Nick (+ 1 assist)

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

27 October 2015

Saturday 17^th October

Merton FC v East Barnet Old Grammarians
1 – 1

A game that somehow managed to be at 1-1 at full time following a hatful of chances created by the Merton team, with familiar foes in the shape of post/s crossbar/s came to the oppositions’ rescue on several occasions throughout this match.

The game should have been dead and buried at half time, yet as Merton did not take their chances, they entered half time 1-0 down. Classic smash and grab scenario here.

A missed penalty half way through the second half should have been dispatched to level the scoring, but this was saved – therefore the task was left to Dave with a strike from outside the box to settle the scores to earn a draw, which was definitely 2 points thrown away in what could prove to be a very competitive season.

Lessons learnt, and chances to be taken for future games. Improvement in decision making and final third of game could have been costly, yet the team play and pressing created a number of chances for the home team throughout the game.

A disappointed Merton team after the game demonstrated how the team play and chances created is progressing positively throughout the season, game by game.

MOTM: Reece + Opposition keeper.

DOTM: Tony P (missed pen – couldn’t let myself off here lads!)

Squad:

GK – Arturs

RB – Tony P

CB – Vincenzo

CB – Mike

LB – Mustard

RM – Denys

CM – Dave (Goal scorer @ 70mins)

CM – Neal

LM – Reece

ST – Yomi

ST – Donno

Subs:

RM – Tom

***A well-deserved mention for Dave Donovan (Donno) who scored the first hatrick of the season at home last weekend, and Merton’s first hatrick of the season overall. MOTM last week, and a challenger for the golden boot this season also.

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

22 October 2015

Southern Amateur League – Division 3
10^th October – 3pm Kick Off
Merton FC 4 – 0 South Bank 3’s

On a blustery day at Joseph Hood, Merton 3’s welcomed back a few previously missing familiar faces for, which was for some, the first home game of the season.

The starting 11 was as below:

GK– Arturs
LB– Mike reed
CB – Vincenzo
CB – Mike stone
RB – Tony
RM – Reece
LM– Seb
CM – Dave
CM – Neal
ST – Denys
ST – Donno

Sub- Yommo

First Half

The first 5 minutes were very ‘stop-start’, in terms of holding the ball and any developing play from the Merton half, in to the oppositions’ half.

The first 10-15 minutes followed with consistent long balls from South Bank’s midfielders and back line to their attacking wingers. Tony and Mike had to mark these two players very tightly, and with the wind in the opposition favour, this was an early threat posed by South Bank.

Following a period of sustained pressure which the back line cancelled out well, Merton realised that the ball was not being held in the middle of the field by the opposition and balls out wide were their main outlet for any attacking/pressing play.

Both pairings of Seb and Mustard on the left, and Reece and Tony on the right broke well to counter attack and overlap.

The consistent tracking by both midfielders either side nullified the threat that the opposition posed midway through the first half. From this point onwards, the remainder of the half was all Merton.

A combination of solid defending from Vincenzo and Mike Stone allowed the two central midfielders Dave and Neal to have a lot of the ball at their feet and allowed Merton to attack down the wings and through balls to Donno and Denys in their forward roles.

Merton created a number of chances which should have been finished, although the wrong decision in the final third proved costly as these chances were not taken for what should have been a comfortable game up to the 30 minute mark of the first half.

Shortly after Neal had an ‘unfortunate incident’ with a low flying ball which some say his squeals could be heard from all over Surrey, Donno tested the opposition keeper with a volley from 20 yards out which was spilled nervously.

To follow, a through ball from the back line to a Donno who was hanging on their last man, provided a one-on-one scenario which was coolly slotted in to the bottom corner. 1-0.

Merton could see the pace of Donno and the wing play was causing South Bank trouble. Shortly after a short corner from Tony slotted to Neal who was unmarked on the corner of the opposition box was struck well, and cleared off the line by the opposition.

Following this effort, another corner was swung in from the left and landed at Vincezo’s feet on the edge of the opposition’s box- after a chip over the back line in to the box, the ball was then struck in to the ground by Denys, spilled by the keeper on the goal-line, and a gleeful Donno accepted the invitation to scoop this in to the net to make it 2-0 to Merton.

The momentum was very much with Merton and the oppositions’ back line sat deep for the remainder of the half.

5 minutes from the half time whistle, several Merton chances were created but again, the wrong decision in the final third was costly. Donno almost put through Tony for a one-on-one with the keeper, made possible by more great tracking and overlapping by Reece on the right wing, but the opportunity was not taken.

Constant talking and communicating by the two centre backs and two central midfielders enabled Merton to see out the remainder of the half comfortably.

Second Half

After a deserved lead in the first half, Merton knew the next goal to the game was crucial. Although the opposition had very few chances the first half, a goal early on would provide some much needed momentum for South Bank.

The game started as the first half did, while Merton knew wing play was a great outlet to develop in to the oppositions half, South Bank adopted an ‘man-for-man’ tactic early on which made this difficult to create anything of note down either side.

With Donno and his obligatory energy drinks before kick-off, Merton knew they had an outlet for consistent running and the next goal was to come from a through ball down the centre of the pitch.

Vincenzo played a through ball to the far edge of the box from just inside the Merton half, with which he took down and controlled well, beat the two centre backs, and took the ball to the edge of the box, past the goal line.

What followed is surely the best goal of the season for Merton FC so far. Prompting shouts from the right back of ‘show him some support’ (which was evidently not needed) Merton’s striker rounded the two centre backs along the edge of the box, drove towards, and then danced past the keeper, with such a tight angle remaining that the goal could barely be seen from his angle.

With a strike that would have prompted Thierry Henry to clutch Jamie Carragher’s thigh in such a fashion, Donno then slotted the ball underneath the keeper to nestle in to the far corner of the net to make it 3-0 to Merton.

This was the next crucial goal- and what a goal!

The game from this point was all Merton FC and solid performances by all on the pitch allowed Merton to make a substitution with 20 minutes left of the game to be played.

With the opposition now disheartened and sick of the sight of an on rushing, ‘tongue out of mouth wagging’ Donno in their memories, he was substituted and Yommo was brought on as a replacement to see out the game.

Great hold up play by Yommo and a hard-working Denys allowed further wing play to develop down each side of the pitch.

With 10 minutes to go, by great team play in which almost all of the Merton players touched the ball, Neal won a header in the centre, which was then played through to Denys. Yommo was by the opposition penalty spot with time and space, collected the ball from Denys, and a quick ‘shimmy’ and shoulder dip from Yommo, which demonstrated that he as an avid ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fan, prompted the keeper to dive one way, which allowed Yommo to slot the ball in to an empty bottom corner of the net to make it 4-0.

Merton ran down the clock for the remainder of the game, even prompting a speculative 40-yard strike from Denys, which was narrowly wide of the goal post – not quite Charlie Adam esque’- but the confidence and comfort of the Merton play for the remainder of the game was a result of the hard teamwork, and jobs done before.

A few flying elbows and choke holds from the frustrated opposition at the end of the game in the direction of Tony and Neal respectively, demonstrated that the Merton starting 11 are clearly more handsome than they thought – but also that the opposition were willing to wind down the clock on the behalf of the Merton 11 at their own cost.

Queue the final whistle to complete a great display all round, a well-deserved 3 points at home, and a very important clean sheet.

Posted in Match Reports 3s

Matt Haswell

20 October 2015